Category: Windows 7

I’m back. Looks like some stuff happened while I was gone — dustup over pasting a black person into a homogenous Microsoft ad in Poland (Microsoft has apologized for this incident) and a ruling on a patent infringement case over Word which resulted in a $290 million fine and an injunction on selling…

Microsoft confirmed reports from CNET and Bloomberg today that the company will be shipping Windows 7 in Europe without the Internet Explorer browser in it. CNET’s report cites a memo that was sent to computer makers saying the changes were being made to comply with European Union law. Earlier this year, the European Commission notified Microsoft…

Windows 7, the next version of Microsoft’s operating system, will go on sale Oct. 22, the company said. The latest version will replace Windows Vista. Microsoft says it plans to offer a tech guarantee program that would offer a free upgrade to Windows 7 for people who purchase computers that come installed with Vista before Oct….

In anticipation of its release of Windows 7 this fall, Microsoft announced some changes to its Starter edition. The Starter editions are popular on netbooks, smaller laptops that cost about $300. Netbooks have become a strong growth segment in computer sales, and most are sold with Starter editions of Windows, which cost less than desktop…

Microsoft confirmed today that Windows 7 will be in stores by the holidays, in a news release the company released for the Tech Ed conference. The announcement also included some comments from Bill Veghte’s keynote at the event. Veghte is the senior vice president of Windows Business: “With early RC testing and extensive partner feedback we’ve…

A second wave of layoffs at Microsoft was announced today, including 1,200 cuts locally, Cinco de Mayo and…oh yeah…the Windows 7 release candidate is available publicly. Get your hot, freshly brewed release candidate here. The release candidate is the final testing version of the software before Microsoft ships it to computer makers to install…

Microsoft posted a download page for the next major Windows 7 milestone. The page, since removed, said the Windows 7 Release Candidate would be out in May — a bit later than previous rumors of an April RC. Emil Protalinski at Ars Technica spotted the Microsoft TechNet download page and has recreated it…

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer addressed a packed auditorium of public sector technology executives gathered at the company’s Redmond headquarters for its seventh U.S. Public Sector CIO Summit this week. He touched on some of the economic themes that have come up in several of his speeches recently, giving his take on funding for innovative ideas in a down economy and investors’ reactions to Microsoft’s cost-cutting measures. Ballmer also expressed some disappointment in the progress of Windows Mobile and gave his thoughts on marketing Windows 7. Read on for highlights.

A couple of developments on the European regulatory front today. One new, one old. In a development that could have an impact on the current European Commission antitrust action against Microsoft, a build of Windows 7 has a feature allowing users to “turn off” Internet Explorer 8. The blogger who spotted the capability gets right…

Two more pieces of the Windows puzzle fell into place yesterday and today. Microsoft announced it’s nearing completion of Windows Vista Service Pack 2, which went out in near-final form to technical testers yesterday. And this morning, the company described some of the changes it’s making in Windows 7 as a result of feedback from people who have tested an early version of that program — all of which made a presentation today by Mike Cherry, a Windows expert at Directions on Microsoft, particularly relevant. Cherry, like many analysts, thinks Microsoft is on track to release Windows 7 ahead of schedule.

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Welcome to Microsoft Pri0: That's Microspeak for top priority, and that's the news and observations you'll find here from Seattle Times technology reporter Matt Day. Send tips or comments to mday@seattletimes.com.